Lawyers back MDPs

A panel of senior lawyers and academics gave a ringing endorsement for multi-disciplinary partnerships (MDPs) last week.Speaking at a debate on 'MDPs, fee-sharing and the consumer interest', organised by City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society, professor John Flood of Westminster University said MDPs would enable solicitors to focus on their service and the means of its delivery.

Neil Cochran, Andersen Legal's worldwide practice manager, said MDPs make sense from a client's point of view, as they enable them to have their legal problems solved with better value for money.He said the core values of the profession - independence and client confidentiality - would need to be preserved by regulation.Law Society President David McIntosh told the audience that MDPs would bring great advantages to the profession, but that it was important that the regulation should work.He said the Society has not yet found a method of introducing full MDPs without the need for government legislation.

There is no indication that the government is prepared to make time for a Bill before 2003.Dierdre Hutton, chairwoman of the National Consumer Council and a non-executive director of the Financial Services Authority, said many ordinary consumers would not understand how MDPs work, but she said they could bring benefits to consumers, so long as concerns over competition are addressed.Jeremy Fleming